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This article is correct to say we must closely look at the content of all protests and struggles and that a very small number of activists (representing relatively small numbers in South Africa) have managed to get international attention that means they punch way above their weight-this much has been going on since 2003 when I think the social movements were organisationally starting to decline. Rebecca is also right (and has been consistently for a number of years) to argue that the independent Left outside of the Alliance are very weak and this should not be ignored. But Zachary bends the stick too far, and despite the one line caveats and best intensions the article is way too dismissive of the near rolling protests that are taking place across the country since 2006 and verges on being dismissive in an ultra-left sense. Such protests are still a very good barometer of the level of class struggle-most activists across the world would kill for such level of protests irrespective of their content. And they would be right to do so as only with such basic, raw class struggle, can we then begin to actively seek to argue for more radical politics inside such movements. Sure, sober analysis is vital but don't be so hard just because others have exaggerated the role and influence of their group or community. We can't put pre-conditions on how, where, when and what politics/ideas emerges in protests. No movement in history has ever emerged ready-made, pure or ideologically clear-how could they-we learn through doing. Wisconsin was hardly radical by Zachary's implied measure, but it ignighted the occuppy movement and the US and elsehwre is a better place for it and, despite many challenges, so are our chances of building more sustainable movements.

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How does ecosocialist politics differ from traditional socialist and labor politics? How do we ensure the generalized satisfaction of needs for all, including the equalization of living standards between the industrialized nations and the rest of the world, if humanity can no longer afford to keep expanding production based on energy from fossil fuels?

In 2014 Solidarity’s Ecosocialist Working Group began a project to discuss these and related questions. We publish three essays here as the beginning of a working paper exchanging ideas, proposals, and possible strategic frameworks. We also invite your comments.